We Being Thus Set Down As We Were
Appointed, Presently The Inquisitors Came Up Another Pair Of Stairs,
And The Viceroy And All The Chief Justices With Them.
When they were
set down and placed under the cloth of estate agreeing to their degrees
and calling, then came up also a great number of friars, white, black,
and grey, about the number of 300 persons, they being set in the places
for them appointed.
Then was there a solemn Oyes made, and silence
commanded, and then presently began their severe and cruel judgment.
The first man that was called was one Roger, the chief armourer of the
Jesus, and he had judgment to have 300 stripes on horseback, and after
condemned to the galleys as a slave for ten years.
After him was called John Gray, John Browne, John Rider, John Moone,
James Collier, and one Thomas Browne. These were adjudged to have 200
stripes on horseback, and after to be committed to the galleys for the
space of eight years.
Then was called John Keies, and was adjudged to have 100 stripes on
horseback, and condemned to serve in the galleys for the space of six
years.
Then were severally called the number of fifty-three, one after
another, and every man had his several judgment, some to have 200
stripes on horseback and some 100, and some condemned for slaves to the
galleys, some for six years, some for eight, and some for ten.
And then was I, Miles Phillips, called, and was adjudged to serve in a
monastery for five years, without any stripes, and to wear a fool's
coat or San Benito, during all that time.
Then were called John Storie, Richard Williams, David Alexander, Robert
Cooke, and Horsewell, and Thomas Hull. These six were condemned to
serve in monasteries without stripes, some for three years, and some
for four, and to wear the San Benito during all the said time. Which
being done, and it now drawing towards night, George Rivelie, Peter
Momfrie, and Cornelius the Irishman were called, and had their judgment
to be burnt to ashes, and so were presently sent away to the place of
execution in the market-place, but a little from the scaffold, where
they were quickly burnt and consumed. And as for us that had received
our judgment, being sixty-eight in number, we were carried back that
night to prison again, and the next day in the morning, being Good
Friday, the year of our Lord, 1575, we were all brought into a court of
the Inquisitors' Palace, where we found a horse in readiness for every
one of our men which were condemned to have stripes, and to be
committed to the galleys, which were in number sixty, and so they,
being enforced to mount up on horseback, naked, from the middle upward,
were carried to be showed as a spectacle for all the people to behold
throughout the chief and principal streets of the city, and had the
number of stripes to every one of them appointed, most cruelly laid
upon their naked bodies with long whips, by sundry men appointed to be
the executioners thereof, and before our men there went a couple of
criers, which cried as they went, "Behold these English dogs,
Lutherans, enemies to God," and all the way as they went, there were
some of the Inquisitors themselves, and of the familiars of that rake-
hell order, that cried to the executioners, "Strike, lay on those
English heretics, Lutherans, God's enemies;" and so this horrible
spectacle being showed round about the city, and they returned to the
Inquisitors' House, with their backs all gore blood and swollen with
great bumps. They were then taken from their horses and carried again
to prison, where they remained until they were sent into Spain to the
galleys, there to receive the rest of their martyrdom; and I, and the
six other with me, which had judgment and were condemned among the rest
to serve an apprenticeship in the monasteries, were taken presently and
sent to certain religious houses appointed for the purpose.
THE SIXTH CHAPTER.
WHEREIN IS SHOWED HOW WE WERE USED IN THE RELIGIOUS HOUSES, AND THAT
WHEN THE TIME WAS EXPIRED THAT WE WERE ADJUDGED TO SERVE IN THEM, THERE
CAME NEWS TO MEXICO OF MASTER FRANCIS DRAKE'S BEING IN THE SOUTH SEA,
AND WHAT PREPARATION WAS MADE TO TAKE HIM; AND HOW I, SEEKING TO
ESCAPE, WAS AGAIN TAKEN AND PUT IN PRISON IN VERA CRUZ, AND HOW AGAIN I
MADE MINE ESCAPE FROM THENCE.
I, Miles Phillips, and William Lowe were appointed to the Black Friars,
where I was appointed to be an overseer of Indian workmen, who wrought
there in building a new church, amongst which Indians I learned their
language or Mexican tongue very perfectly, and had great familiarity
with many of them, whom I found to be a courteous and loving kind of
people, ingenious, and of great understanding, and they hate and abhor
the Spaniards with all their hearts. They have used such horrible
cruelties against them, and do still keep them in such subjection and
servitude, that they and the negroes also do daily lie in wait to
practice their deliverance out of that thraldom and bondage that the
Spaniards do keep them in.
William Lowe, he was appointed to serve the cook in the kitchen;
Richard Williams and David Alexander were appointed to the Grey Friars;
John Storey and Robert Cooke to the White Friars; Paul Horsewell the
Secretary took to be his servant; Thomas Hull was sent to a monastery
of priests, where afterward he died. Thus we served out the years that
we were condemned for, with the use of our fools' coats, and we must
needs confess that the friars did use us very courteously, for every
one of us had his chamber, with bedding and diet, and all things clean
and neat; yea, many of the Spaniards and friars themselves do utterly
abhor and mislike of that cruel Inquisition, and would as they durst
bewail our miseries, and comfort us the best they could, although they
stood in such fear of that devilish Inquisition that they durst not let
the left hand know what the right doeth.
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